Rather obviously, the only attribute that causes us to shield them from exposure and accountability is that they are American.

Glenn, this is not about American exceptionalism, but simply about the lack of interest by leaders in holding themselves responsible. Obama saw an opportunity to look principalled while running, but Democratic leaders in Congress are also complicit, and Obama (and Dems) has no real ax to grind about abuses of power by the Bush administration.

Has the time come to start cultivating our own gardens, to quote Voltaire. My wife thinks that the stuggle is over, that the system cannot be changed other than through the total collapse of the economic and military/police structures that keep it in place, and it is past time that we move to a very rural area and get as much off the grid as possible. Or, as the character of Andre in My Dinner with Andre says, get out before it is too late.

Anyone want to comment on this, because I'm damned if I know whether or not it's time to stop fighting and start thinking about surviving in the emerging Total Surveillance State (Britain, where I earned my Ph.D. and which I love, likely already is one, so I can't flee there).

I must disagree with commentors who claim this is the fault of the American people, that we elected Obama and other hypocrites because we are apathetic, lazy, uninformed, what have you. It's not true.

Instead, the reality as I see it is that Obama exploited us - he exploited our anger, our desire for change, our mobilization of votes and energy to put him in power, and then he abandoned us. He said, "Thanks for the election!"

The same thing happened in 2006 when the Democrats gained control - we elected them to impeach Bush, to roll back the abuses, to stop the war, and they didn't do it.

Now, after seeing what they are all about, we should mobilize to get rid of them. We need to replace every one of them. It's going to take 8-10 years, but we can do it.

Panetta admitted that the CIA had been “concealing significant actions” from Congress since 2001.Stein wrote that one “theory being bandied about concerns an ‘executive assassination ring’ that was allegedly set up and answered to former Vice President Dick Cheney,” although his article didn’t cite sources for the claim. The reporter spoke to Rep. Anna Eshoo, (D-Calif.), a signatory to the CIA letter, about the theory.

Asked if this was the basis of her letter to Panetta, Eshoo said she could not discuss what was a “highly classified program.” She did, however, note that when Panetta told House Intelligence Committee members what it was that had been kept secret, “the whole committee was stunned, even Republicans.” A Republican committee member told Who Runs Gov’s Greg Sargent it was something they hadn’t heard before.

I just saw Rush Holt interviewed on MSNBC.

When asked if he thought that there should be investigations he said yes - that the Church investigation of the 1970s that uncovered spying on Americans and assassinations - "well, that may not have ended'!

Alicia Witt didn't follow up after he said that. She just thanked him for coming - which was mind boggling after what he had just said!

So, what's new....? Obama is in the limelight, hamming it up with the likes of Berlusconi, Sarkozi, Merkel and Benedict. He's having a ball, the press is having a ball, he's important, he looks and acts important, everybody loves him. It's a regular fiesta over there.

Do we really have to smash open this Piñata of war crimes and spoil his party.....? I MEAN....

COME ON, PLEASE, STOP THIS HYSTERICAL NONSENSE.

THE KING OF POP IS DEAD AND YOU HAVE TO BRING UP THIS WAR CRIMES STUFF.....?

THAT IS NOT COOL MAN, YOU ARE REALLY BRINGING ME DOWN DUDE.... STOP....!

alicia witt? the hot redhead from Cybill?

Dostam is a bad man. These executions of Taliban are small potatoes by comparison with the laundry list of war crimes he is responsible for; amongst other things indiscriminate shelling of Kabul during the Afghan civil war that slaughtered thousands (over 65K civilians were killed in Kabul, mostly in this fashion subsequent to the Soviet withdrawal).

Dostam is also a US client, in particular of the CIA- or at least was from his days of merrily committing war crimes for the Mujahideen, to the US war against the Taliban. The point here is that maybe the Obama administration's distancing themselves from him represents an end to sponsorship of his activities. That policy should commended, not scorned. This is not to say Glenn's point about hypocrisy is inaccurate. This is merely to point out that there are many opportunities to point out that hypocrisy where doing so does not obscure something laudable, that it seems a shame to do so regarding this news item.

PS Did anyone else see that Glenn is the 10 most influential columnist in the country? http://www.mediaite.com/power-grid/category/?c=Print+%2F+Online+Columnists

Glenn:

It doesn't appear that they know what the word "anyone" means.

The political class has always acted as if any word that is all inclusive applies to either a) the ruling class (if it is good to be included) or b) everyone except the ruling class (if it is bad to be included).

Thus "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal . . ." has evolved over time from ". . . all white, male, property holders are created equal . . .", to ". . . all white, property holders are created equal . . .", to ". . . most whites (middle class and up) are created equal . . .", to -- well, you get the idea.

Fortunately, it appears that people of conscience can effect change eventually. But change will happen only if we keep the pressure up, so thanks Glenn, for keeping the spotlight on.

There is no military leader in Afghanistan of any standing who has not committed either war crimes or torture.

If you want to start war crimes prosecutions, then we're going to end up with absolutely nobody on our side.

In Pul-i-Charki prison, torture was not for extracting information. It was just for punishing people. And every single side in this prolonged conflict did it when they were in power.

Rashid Dostum fought on the Soviet side during the war. He's probably LESS of a war criminal than any of the POW-raping allies we supported during that war.

For one thing, since he's a socialist, or was, I doubt he's ever ordered acid thrown on any girls' faces like the mujahedin whom American taxpayers funded.

Our mujahedin used to flay their Soviet POWs alive and leave their remains stretched out on tanks to terrorize other soldiers.

Are we going to prosecute them?

Some of those guys are probably siding with us against the Taliban now.

That whole country is a war crime.